Priorities
by Lady-SM
Summary: A follow on from THAT S5 Pam and Eric clip. Pam wants Eric to release her, and when he won't, she takes matters into her own hands, with disastrous results. Multi-chapter, with everyone, but it's a Pam/Eric story. AU now that S5 has started
1. Chapter 1

Hey y'all – this is an idea that's been floating around in my head for a while now, and thankfully that hideous S5 clip came along and gave me an actual lead into it. Since we poor souls in merry old England don't get S5 until Autumn - yes AUTUMN, like, November or something fer cryin out loud – I'll have to make do with my own version for a bit.

In my head, Tara's just dead and gone because I can't really entertain the idea of her as a Vampire, and she's a bit annoying anyway. Sookie's still upset about it obviously, but it's not really the focus of the story.

And kudos to Lady Dudley's One & Only story – go read everything she's ever written, it will get you through this difficult True Blood-less time – which starts pretty much the same way. I'm going off on a different tangent though, so no copycat intended!

Oh, and I own bugger all.

PRIORITIES – Chapter 1

'_If you can't trust me more than Bill Compton, or a WEREWOLF for Christ's sake, then release me and get it over with. Just say the words. As your maker, I release you. Say it, and we're done. SAY IT!'_

Blood red tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, as she looked at maker and waited for him to do the one thing she never thought he'd be able to. She never thought he'd want to – as a Vampire child, she was perfect. As a business partner, she was even better. Admittedly she wasn't exactly performing the range sexual favours she used to anymore, but that had been a mutual decision over fifty years ago, and they'd gone so long without that she'd eventually stopped worrying that was why he'd kept her around. But now, as she stared into his cold eyes, now he was a stranger to her.

'Don't be an idiot, Pam,' Eric hissed, his fists clenched in barely contained rage.

'Why? Because you think I'll go straight to him? You think I'll run off to Russell, and stand by his side, knowing that what he wants more than anything is to stick a stake up your ass? Go fuck yourself Eric, or better yet, go fuck your fairy, and leave me the hell alone – you've gotten really good at that.' she turned on her heel and made to walk away, but in an instant he was on her, slamming her up against the wall, shattering every bottle behind the bar.

'Your insolence has been entertaining in the past Pam, so I've let it slide, but it grows tiresome.' Eric snarled, his grip on her so tight she thought her bones might actually break.

'Then kill me, Eric.' Pam spat back, struggling uselessly against his hold. 'If you can't trust me, then rip my fucking head off right now, because if you make me stay here like this one more second I'm going to walk right out and meet the sun myself, you fucking bastard!'

'DO NOT TEMPT ME!' Eric roared, lifting her up and slamming her head back so hard she almost blacked out. Tears bubbled up again, against her will, and she stared down at him, trying to find some semblance of the man she fell for over a hundred years before. She choked back a bitter sob, and something in his eyes flickered. Regret, maybe. A hint of shame. He stepped back suddenly, and she crumpled to the floor, hissing in pain when she landed in the remnants of their shattered stock. The pain seemed to push all sorrow aside for a moment, and when she sprang back onto her Louboutin clad feet, she had fire in her eyes. Eric recognised it, it was the same fire he'd seen all those years ago when she faced him in that dark, cobbled alley in London. She'd been sure he was the Ripper, about to claim her for his latest victim, and she sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

'If you won't release me,' she said, calmly, 'then I will do it myself.' She strode across the bar and picked up her bag and jacket, tossing them over her arm and wiping her tears away as she did it. Eric stood silent, shell shocked at what he'd almost done, and not really hearing what she'd just said.

'Pam,' he said, eventually, but he was met by the slamming of a door. He spun around and raced after her, throwing open the doors to the street and stumbling out, his eyes searching wildly for her. 'PAM!' he yelled, his voice echoing through the night.

Eric pressed his hands over his eyes and took a deep, unnecessary breath, releasing it slowly and carefully. He didn't need to say it loudly, he barely needed to say the words at all, but this time he would, just to make sure he got it exactly right.

'Pamela Swynford De Beaufort, as your maker I command you to return to my side.'

He waited patiently for the rush of heels on tarmac, the bitter curse, the slap in the face... but nothing came. He frowned, and spoke again, a little louder this time. Still, nothing.

'Pam?'

But his child was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Evenin', thanks for the reviews! Still setting up the story really, so there's not much dialogue in this one until the end. Enjoy!

PRIORITIES – Chapter 2

She didn't know how long she'd been running, but eventually she began to tire about eighty miles from New Orleans. Eric's constant commands were horrendous to ignore, clawing at her insides, trying to drag her back to him. Every shiver that ran through her made her all the more indignant, and determined to continue. Stopping abruptly in the middle of fucking nowhere, Pam glanced up at the sky and saw the reason for her sudden fatigue. Dawn was approaching - maybe a few hours away at best - and running any further would be like a regular human trying to run a marathon at the end of a forty eight hour day.

She eyed the damp ground around her, and then her shoes. They'd cost her eight hundred dollars, and she was not about to dig them into the earth. Figuring the cluster of lights in the distance was her best bet at a windowless bed for the day, she ignored the gnawing feeling of desperate regret in the pit of her stomach and turned West.

He covered the whole city, all of Shreveport and most of the surrounding area, calling her name until his throat tore, to no avail. She was gone.

How could she even refuse him? Laws of Vampire nature aside, this was PAM. A hundred years together, and she'd never done anything so insolent. Never done anything to hurt him, to hurt them. Eric sighed as her recent words came back to haunt him, and turned, dejected, back to Fangtasia.

The bar had never seemed so silent, as he crunched his way across the glass strewn floor, to his office.

'Fuck,' he muttered, sitting down at his desk with his head in his hands. He hadn't slept for days, and it was catching up with him. Of course Pam wouldn't dig up Russell - what could have possessed him to even think such a thing? Sure, she was malicious, prone to vengeance at times, but she wasn't stupid. She was the smartest woman he'd ever known - his equal, in so many ways, and his superior in so many more, though he never let her know that. He'd never let her know how proud he'd been that she'd taken over Area 5 and kept the bar going while he'd been gone. He'd never even let her know how sorry he was for what she'd had to go through for him. He'd been so pre-occupied with Sookie, that he'd not even given it a second thought because he knew, deep down, Pam would still be there later, when he would eventually show his appreciation in some subtle way or other. Except she wasn't, and he was an idiot.

He slumped back into his chair, reaching to pull a soft obstruction out from behind him as he did so - Pam's sweater. Lilac cashmere; she must have been wearing it when she'd arrived earlier, before she'd changed into her usual stereotypically gothic evening wear. Eric held the expensive fabric carefully in his hands, cursing when a dark red tear escaped his eyes and landed on the sleeve. Deciding it was ruined now anyway, he gathered it to his face, breathing in the lingering scent of Chanel no. 5, until all his days of missed sleep caught up with him and he drifted into dreams of werewolves and fairy wings.

About an hour before dawn, Pam had sought out the best excuse for a 4 star hotel on the edge of Baton Rouge, and paid in cash for their biggest room - black out curtains and inbuilt coffin as standard, of course, and decided to entertain herself in the bar until the absolute last moments of night. She really didn't fancy lying down in an unfamiliar coffin any sooner than she needed to - if she timed it right she'd literally close the lid and surrender to sleep against her will. That was one way to avoid thinking about Eric anyway.

His call hadn't stopped since she'd started running, but it had dulled, into a kind of consistent ache, thrumming away at her insides and settling at the pit of her stomach. She ignored it, and settled herself on a stool in the bar, deciding it might be wise to keep a low profile and force down a bottle of Tru Blood rather than risk being caught sucking the bartender dry and alerting her maker to her location.

'Rough night?' Her first choice of supper asked, clearly unaware of the danger and taking her red stained cheeks to mean she was harmless, and in need of a kind word.

'Shut the fuck up and fetch me one of those disgusting bottles of fake blood, before I help myself to yours,' Pam spat back, a quirked eyebrow and a flash of fang enough to get her point across. The bartender's eyes widened in fear and he stumbled over himself to the backbar to open the little used refrigerator.

She snatched the bottle from his hand with Vampire speed, and threw more than enough notes over the bar to keep him quiet. The bartender grabbed what he could, and made himself scarce. Pam popped the lid and took a tentative sip, shuddering at the plastic taste. Good god it tasted horrible.

'Vile, isn't it?' A voice said over her shoulder. A voice that caused the barely touched bottle to slip from her grasp and shatter, coating the floor of the bar crimson. She didn't need to turn around to see his face, it was imprinted on the back of her eyelids, and she'd see it forever. Alive and manic, just as he had been when he'd lopped off the Magister's head, just as he had been when he'd followed Eric out into the sun, just as he was now when he grabbed the back of her stool and spun her around to face him.

'Russell,' she gasped, unable to hide the tremor in her voice.

'In the flesh – so to speak,' the three thousand year old psychopath said with a broad grin. 'And may I say, you look ravishing this evening Ms Pamela. If I swung that way, I'd almost regret having to do this…' His black eyes flashed and Pam leapt from her stool – but her hundred year old Vampire speed was no match for his ancient superior strength. He grabbed her wrists in an iron grip, and suddenly everything went black – very painfully black – and against all better judgement, she let rip a blood curdling scream.

Back in Shreveport, the shock of his progeny's pain shook Eric from his slumber. He could almost hear her scream echoing through the silent club, and it felt like someone was stabbing his heart with a silver stake, over and over. He still held her cashmere sweater tightly his hand when he ran through the club, prepared to follow that stab of pain as long as it took to find her. Unfortunately, he hadn't factored in the approaching dawn, and the moment he wrenched the club's doors open, he had to slam them shut again to avoid burning up.

'Damnit Pam,' he muttered. 'Where the hell are you?'


	3. Chapter 3

PRIORITIES – Chapter 3

The second the hot Louisiana sun dipped below the horizon, Eric flung his office door open, yanking it clean off it's hinges and scaring the crap out of Ginger, who'd arrived before sunset to open up.

'Wha – where are you goin'?' Ginger choked out, nearly falling off her sky high plastic heels when the thousand year old Vampire barged past her.

'We're not opening tonight Ginger, go home,' Eric snarled, ignoring her protests and sweeping through the doors, into the night. Ginger stood gaping for a moment, before bending down to pick up the blood stained rag Eric had dropped by her feet. Her recently glamoured brow furrowed for a moment, but she shrugged it away and started locking up the bar.

* * *

Eric arrived at Bill's house to find the young Vampire king almost as distraught as he, and about to leave.

'Eric, now is really not the time, I have to get to –'

'Pam is gone,' Eric interrupted him, his voice cracking on the last word, much to his distaste. Bill stopped on his way through the door, and turned, one eyebrow raised.

'You released her?' he asked, disbelieving.

'No.' Eric said, his patience wearing thin already. 'I confronted her about Russell, and she… took off.'

'Took off? How could she just take off?'

'If I knew that, do you really think I would be here?' Eric shot back. 'I've summoned her, I've commanded her return, I've forbidden her to defy me and still she remains lost. I need you to order every sheriff under your jurisdiction to help me find her.'

Bill hesitated at the thinly veiled desperation on his sheriff's face, but he really couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

'I'm sorry Eric, truly I am, but there is a matter that requires my urgent attention…' he paused, torn between making his excuses and leaving, and sharing his fears with Eric. In the end, he relented, and removed a crumpled piece of paper from his suit pocket. 'I can't spare a single Vampire right now, as Russell Edgington has made a threat against Sookie, and I have them all guarding her house.'

Eric stalled at that, two halves of his unbeating heart pulling him two separate ways.

'Sookie?' he repeated, trying and failing to push Pam's suggestion that he go 'fuck his fairy' out of his mind.

'Yes, Russell has made a threat against her life, claiming that he plans to take away the thing that, well, that you _and_ I hold most dear. Now, I do understand your distress at not being able to locate Pam…'

'No, you're right,' Eric interrupted. Instantly, the haunted fire of his eyes dulled and his face hardened into an unreadable expression which made Bill feel even more uncomfortable than he had when the thousand year old Vampire had seemed on the verge of breaking down. In the end though, he just nodded once, and the pair took off into the night.

* * *

'What the _hell _Bill?' Sookie demanded when the two Vampires turned up at her door. 'I just tried to leave – to go to _work _by the way, so you can explain _that _one to Sam later – and I found out I'm being kept prisoner in my own damn home?'

'Technically you're being kept prisoner in my home,' Eric commented, as he surveyed the area as best he could. There was something of a familiar smell on the air, but he couldn't quite place it. Sookie's delectable scent seemed to play havoc with his senses these days.

'I really don't think now's the time to be piping up with that crap again Eric,' Sookie snapped, hands on hips, staring the pair of them down. 'Now is one of you going to tell me what's going on?'

'We believe Russell Edgington has marked you as his next target,' Bill explained. 'The Vampire's are for your protection, I cannot let you leave this house Sookie,'

'And the Werewolves?' Sookie asked, eyebrows raised.

'Werewolves?' Eric repeated, glancing at Bill. Maybe that was what he could smell – but it wasn't an unpleasant smell, like that of a wolf. What was it? Why couldn't he place it?

'Again – for your protection.' Bill said calmly, ignoring Eric's narrowed gaze.

'C'mon Bill, it's been dark for at least an two hours and look, no Russell Edgington. You can't keep locking me up against my will just because you think I _might _be in danger. We're not together anymore, that's not your job. Either of you.'

'Did you ever think perhaps the protective circle of Vampires and Werewolves around your house might be the reason you haven't been brutally murdered by a vengeful three thousand year old Vampire yet?' Bill asked, beginning to lose his patience. Eric smirked at that – they weren't so far past their old enmity that he didn't appreciate watching Bill almost pop a blood vessel.

Sookie looked set to throw back a smart remark, when her attention suddenly wavered. The Vampire's followed her gaze to the edge of the forest, where they spotted Alcide emerging, buttoning his pants and stalking cautiously toward them.

'She's right, Bill,' Alcide said, his wolf ears picking up the end of their conversation. 'Russell's not here. The only Vampires we've come across are the ones working for you – not that that stopped a few of them trying to start something anyways.'

'See?' Sookie held up her hands, exasperated. 'Now can I _please _go to work?'

Bill frowned, and pulled the note out of his pocket again. Eric froze and sniffed again, his eyes darkening, as Bill opened the crinkled page.

'I don't understand, why would Russell warn us of what he was going to do if he couldn't guarantee we'd already arrive too late?' Bill wondered aloud. 'It says he plans to tear away the thing Eric and I hold most dear. If that's not you…'

'Ew,' Sookie wrinkled her nose. 'Is that note written in _blood_?'

'Yes,' Bill replied, grimly. 'Of course, I knew it wasn't yours – you do have such a distinctive smell. But it's –' All of a sudden, Eric moved so fast he was barely more than a blur, snatching the note from Bill's hand and crushing the paper to his face, breathing in deeply. A split second later, the note slipped from his grasp and fluttered to the floor, and Eric was left staring as if he'd seen the ghost of Godric all over again.

'Eric… what is it?' Sookie crept carefully over to him and laid a tentative hand on his elbow. He didn't even register the contact.

'Russell – he has Pam,' he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. Sookie gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. Beside her, Bill seethed with rage at his own foolishness.

'He wasn't going after Sookie,' he shook his head in disbelief. 'He went after our progenies… my god… I have to find Jessica. Sookie – she's with Jason, is she not?'

'I don't know, I guess,' Sookie said, panic rising in her own chest at the thought of a murderous Vampire attacking her brother's house to get to Bill's child. 'Oh my god Bill, we have to find them before Russell does!'

Eric suddenly snapped into action, picking up the discarded note and closing his eyes tightly, before pushing past Bill and Sookie in the direction of the forest.

'Eric, wait!' Sookie cried, racing after him. He ignored her, and she couldn't keep up with him.

'Eric, as your king I command you to stop,' Bill ordered, causing him to stop at last, albeit reluctantly. He turned slowly, and his gaze was murderous.

'I will defy your command if I must, Bill,' Eric warned. 'I care nothing for your baby Vampire.'

'Surely you can appreciate that the only way to find Pam is to find Russell,' Bill said. 'We must get to Jessica before he takes her – if he hasn't already.'

'THIS NOTE IS WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD OF MY CHILD!' Eric thundered, his fists shaking violently. Bill employed every bit of patience and diplomacy he had left.

'And right now, Russell is on the way to take the blood of mine. Together, Eric, we can save them both,' he reasoned. Eric bristled, trying hard to keep a check on his anger, and turned briefly to Sookie.

'Sookie, if Jessica is with Jason, where will they be?'

'Uh… Merlott's maybe? It's still early, if they were going anywhere else they'd probably not have left Bon Temps yet…' but Eric had heard nothing since 'Merlott's'. He folded the letter written in Pam's blood and held it tightly in his fist, and took off into the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

Howdy folks – forgot to say one more thing. I'm sure the 'Vampire Steve' storyline is going to be hilarious, but I completely forgot about it when starting this story so I'm just going to continue forgetting. Soooo, Jessica left Jason's on Halloween and absolutely no random crazy ex-Christians showed up on his doorstep after she left. Ta.

Chapter 4

Jason returned to their booth in the far corner of Merlott's with a beer and a bottle of Tru Blood, ignoring the looks pretty much every other punter was sending his way, especially when they noticed his fresh bite marks.

'You'd think they'd have gotten used to it round here by now,' he said under his breath when he sat back down. Jessica looked uncomfortable, and played with the label on her bottle, absently.

'We don't have to stick around, if you don't want to,' she said. 'I mean… Merlott's was your idea, we can go if you want…'

'Hey, no – Jess, I don't care what they're all thinkin'. I'm not my sister, I can't hear it. It doesn't bother me. And besides, I'm pretty sure they've all thought worse things about me before. But hey, if you wanna go, we'll go. I was thinkin' we'd just have a drink here – and maybe I'll have a burger or something – and then we'd head out to Shreveport –'

'To Fangtasia?'

'Well… yeah, maybe. Or some place else. Wherever you want to go…' Jason frowned. He knew it was going to be difficult to be with Jessica in Bon Temps, even when Hoyt wasn't around, but now she didn't even seem to want to go anywhere with him, not even Shreveport. 'Is something wrong, Jess?' he asked, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn't particularly good at this girl stuff. Especially not when the girl in question had a tendency to quite literally bite your head off if you caught her on a bad day.

'It's nothing, I just, um… can we go outside for a minute? Get some fresh air, you know?' She didn't wait for him to agree, she just got up out of the booth and made it to the door with impossible speed. Jason sighed, grabbed his beer, and headed after her, leaving the discarded bottle of Tru Blood on the table. He should have remembered she wouldn't drink it – she only drank human blood now.

'Hey Jess, wait up!' Jason called after her when he made it outside. She was half way across the lot before he caught up with her. 'Hey, what's up? It's more than just those hicks makin' faces at us, isn't it?'

'It's nothing,' she dismissed, wiping at her eyes absently, though no tears had fallen. 'Just...Vampire stuff.'

'Vampire stuff?' Jason repeated, stopping suddenly and grabbing her arm to stop her from wandering any further. 'Like what?'

'Like, nothing you need to worry about,' Jessica snapped, shaking her arm free. 'Not everything concerns you Jason _Stackhouse._'

Jason was struck dumb for a second. Only a second mind you. 'Now hang on, what's that supposed to mean?'

Jessica shook her head, eyes on the ground. 'Nothing. Sorry, I'm just...' she threw her hands up in the air and gave up, sitting down on an old cut off tree trunk with a huff and a sigh. 'Okay, look. If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone else. Not even Sookie.'

Jason held up his hands. 'I promise. Not a word.'

Jessica looked up at him through hazy eyes and smiled at his honest face. She'd never expected that he could be like that, so completely trusting of her, of anyone. Maybe he was just a bit dumb, but she hoped it wasn't that.

'There's some serious shit going down with the AVL,' Jessica explained. 'Bill's been tryin' to keep me out of it, but I've picked up on a few things. I know that Bill killed Nan Flanagan, and Eric helped him do it. I know there's a price on both their heads after all that crap with the witches, and probably me and Pam too. And there's something else big, that Bill's been freakin' out about all week, only he thinks he's hiding it from me, and I'm here with you, tryin' to be all normal and couple like and not to think about it, but it's all the hell I can think about!'

The words tumbled from her mouth faster than she'd thought possible, and Jason just managed to follow them.

'Wait... Bill killed _Nan Flanigan? _The Vamp PR woman?'

'Yeah, but the AVL still have their eye on them, and they could show up at any time. I went to Fangtasia two nights ago to try and find Eric and Pam but Eric wasn't there and Pam wouldn't come out of the office all night. Something else is going on Jason, and they won't tell me what it is. It's like being a child again!'

Suddenly, Jessica's Vampire senses bristled and a twig snapped behind them. Jessica spun around on her heel, instinctively stepping in front of Jason and gasped when she saw what faced them. The three wolves beared their teeth and growled, but otherwise stayed back, as if waiting for permission to strike. Jason's grip on Jessica's arm suddenly tightened and then she saw why. Stepping out of the trees behind the wolves was none other than Russell Edgington.

'Well, well, so _this _is the King of Louisiana's progeny,' Russell remarked, hands casually stuffed in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. 'Congratulations my dear, you're positively demure. I suppose after seeing his last morsel of choice, I was expecting something a little more... slutty...'

Jason forgot himself at that and stepped forward, Jessica's iron grip the only thing stopping him from marching right up to Russell.

'That's my _sister _you're talkin' about, watch your god damn mouth,' he ground out the empty threat and Russell chuckled.

'My my, your sister hmm? I guess that means you taste just as sweet as she does...'

'He doesn't taste like Sookie,' Jessica said quickly. 'He's got no fairy blood in him, not even a little bit. Drinkin' from him ain't going to give you any super Vampire fairy powers so you can just leave us the hell alone. Bill knows where I am,' she added, as an afterthought.

'Oh my dear, I couldn't care less what King Bill thinks he knows. In fact, I rather hoped the little note I sent him would have him marching right over here so he could witness his progeny's bloody demise first hand, but I guess he's still just a little bit too dumb. Some things never change. Now, it really doesn't matter if I have to rip through your human to get to you Miss Hamby, but the thing is, I only just got the blood out of my shirt from last night's little progeny party, so you'll excuse me if I leave that one to the dogs.'

Jessica tried to push Jason behind her again, but he stood his ground and looked ready to fight. As ready as an unarmed man faced with half a pack of werewolves could be, anyway. Everything seemed to happen at once - the wolves leapt, Jason dodged, Russell whipped out a silver chain and in an instant had it around Jessica's throat, his own hands protected by silk gloves that had previously seemed to be purely for show. Jessica screamed for help, the cry ripping from her lungs loud enough to carry through to the bar and beyond, but it barely had time to ring out before Russell yanked on the chain again and silenced her.

'Oh now, you know you really don't need to scream like that to bring Daddy running,' he hissed in her ear. 'You just need to think it - it helps if you're in pain. We can feel our progeny's pain you know. Just like I felt Talbot when Eric plunged a stake into his back. Just like Eric's going to feel it when I break his child into bloody pieces. Just like Bill's feeling right now... oh yes, you're all going to feel it sweetheart. But if you're lucky, _you_ won't have to for much longer...'

Jessica struggled, her eyes searching wildly for Jason, but she couldn't see anything but the stars. All she could hear was growling and yelping, and her own silent cries for help thundering through her ears as the white hot silver burned into her skin.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey folks, sorry sorry sorry (I know everyone says this) but I have no laptop at the moment, and writing on an ipad is just not fun. Also we're in a bit of a mental Jubilee world here in London at the moment, so I haven't been able to find a spare moment until today. But hurrah! We're back.

* * *

Jessica struggled, fighting to stay conscious against the white hot pain of a silver chain tearing into her throat, and cried out for her maker in her mind. She knew it was exactly what Russell wanted of her, but damnit, she didn't want to die and she couldn't bear it if his wolves got Jason. A thousand miles away it seemed, she heard a door open and footsteps rush out.

'Hey!' Shit, it was Sam. Not Bill, or Eric, or Pam, but _Sam_. And he was going to get his pathetic little Shifter ass ripped to pieces.

'Well, what do we have here?' Russell sounded genuinely amused. 'Look boys, an entree!'

Sam stepped out into the lot, taking in the scene before him, recognising Russell in an instant of course – the image of a vampire ripping a man's spine out on live television is not one that leaves a person easily.

'Let her go,' Sam demanded, sounding considerably more sure of himself than he felt. Russell just laughed.

'You want to come here and make me, son?' His voice suddenly grew dark, but Sam stood his ground. Russell growled, and after one last twist of the chain around Jessica's neck, he hurled her to the ground. With the chain still in place, she struggled to drag herself away, but it was like the weight of the world held her down, and she couldn't move.

Sam, on the other hand, found himself surrounded. At least six werewolves snarled at him, circling so quickly he couldn't keep track of exactly how many were there, while Russell simply stalked toward him, as though the wolves weren't even there.

'I trust my reputation precedes me, judging by the fact you look about ready to piss your pants, little dog,' Russell observed, rocking back on his heels, hands in his pockets. Sam stepped back, then in an instant dropped to the ground, clothing crumpling around him, emerging with his teeth bared. Russell smirked, and cocked his head to the side.

'Well, that's one way to make less of a mess I guess,' he commented, giving a nod to the circling wolves. Two jumped at once, snapping at his legs to bring him to the ground. Russell stood back and chuckled, watching Sam fighting for his life with a grin on his face. It was only after Sam managed to tear the throat out of his second wolf that the vampire saw fit to intervene.

'Alrighty then, I think that's enough from you,' he said, moving at vampire speed and grabbing Sam by the scruff of his neck, tearing him away from his twitching victim. The dog snapped at Russell's wrist, but his grip was like iron, as was his strength when he drew his arm back and hurled him into the forest. Sam hit a tree trunk with an enormous thud and fell to the ground, unmoving. Russell approached, taking his time, wondering how best to dispatch on this one. He'd just about settled on a good old fashioned tearing limb from limb, when he heard, a sickening crack and felt the white hot sizzling of his own flesh burning away.

Jason, forgotten in the fray, somehow managed to drag himself and what he was pretty sure was a broken leg, away from the distracted wolves, long enough to rip the bloody chain from around Jessica's neck, and tie it tightly around a fallen fence post, with just enough time left to bring the weapon crashing down on the back of Russell's head before the vampire managed to finish off the unconscious shape shifter.

Russell dropped to his knees, momentarily caught off guard. In seconds though, he was back on his feet and spun around, fangs out and eyes filled with fire.

'That, was a very _stupid _thing to do, Mr Stackhouse,' he hissed. Jason shuffled back, brandishing his makeshift weapon bravely. It wasn't worth much without the element of surprise though, and faster than he could blink, Russell was on him, with his fangs in his neck.

'Jason!' Jessica screamed, her voice raw and bloody tears running down her cheeks. Russell threw his head back, and grinned as Jason struggled in his grasp.

'You were wrong about one thing Miss Hamby,' he said. 'Your boyfriend here does taste pretty darn sweet. Not half as good as his sister, mind, but still...'

'Then don't fuckin' kill him!' Jessica pleaded. 'You know Bill and Eric won't ever let you get at Sookie, don't kill the only shot you've got at your little day walkin' dream!'

'Jess, what the fuck are you doing?' Jason spluttered, trying his damnedest to stay coherent despite the constant niggling sensation of his blood flowing steadily from the wound on his neck.

'Keeping you alive, you big doofus,' Jessica snapped, hands at her own throat. 'Whatever Sookie's got, she's not the only one in her family to have it. It skips a generation or two, you kill Jason now, you'll never know if he's gonna pass it on to his kids, or his kids' kids, now do you?'

Russell's eyes narrowed. 'Well if you two are so happy together, that ain't gonna be a possibility now, is it?' Jessica bit her lip and held his gaze, until Russell rolled his eyes and gave in. 'Alright then, fine.' And suddenly he dropped his grip from Jason's throat, and took his unbroken leg in both hands, snapping his shin clean in two, so that Jason screamed before falling to the ground, unconscious from the pain.

'Russell!' Bill's voice cut through the night, and Jessica's eyes fluttered momentarily closed in relief.

'Oh my god, Jason!' Jessica heard Sookie too, and from the horrible howling screams coming from the forest, she was pretty sure Eric had arrived as well, and was making fast work of dispatching Russell's extra werewolf troops hiding out amongst the trees.

'My my, if it isn't the King of Louisiana,' Russell mocked. 'Took your time coming for your little girl, didn't you daddy? I thought my note was pretty clear, but then... well, maybe the ink I used wasn't particularly legible.'

If Eric's presence hadn't been obvious before, the mighty roar he let rip as he emerged, covered in the blood of Russell's army, let the whole of Bon Temps know.

'Eric, remember, do _not _kill him,' Bill warned. 'We kill him now, we won't stand a chance of finding where he's keeping Pam.'

Eric growled, and Russell chuckled.

'What makes you think I'm keepin' your hundred year whore anywhere at all?' he taunted Eric, licking Jason's blood from his lips. Eric did not miss the insinuation, and neither did Bill, who threw out his arm just in time to catch Eric before he rushed the three thousand year old psychopath.

'You have nothing to gain here, Russell,' Bill said.

'Oh, I have everything to gain,' Russell shot back. 'What I don't have is anything to _lose, _thanks to your Viking friend, and your _fairy_ here.'

'I will tear you into three thousand pieces, you _tvinnade oäkta_, one for every year of your miserable life,' Eric snarled. '_Tell me where my progeny is._'

'Oh I don't think so,' Russell replied, grinning, but his eyes were cold. 'I'm nowhere near done with her yet.' Eric snapped and leapt, but Russell was too fast for him, and simply stepped aside. 'She's got such big, sad eyes, your precious girl. And not just since she's been... spending _quality_ time with me. I found her almost a hundred miles from here, you know. And she didn't look like she was planning on coming back any time soon. Wouldn't it be just _tragic _if something were to happen to her before you two managed to make up? That's the sort of thing that can tear a Vampire apart inside.' Eric balled his fists and made to fly at him again, but Bill and Jessica were on him in a split second, holding him back.

'LET ME KILL HIM!' Eric spat, shaking Jessica off easily, though he struggled more to get free of Bill.

'Oh, that's a very bad idea,' Russell warned, in a singsong voice. 'You see, she's not going anywhere on her own, and even if one of my faithful wolves did escape your little tantrum in the forest earlier, I can assure you I'm not dumb enough to have told a single one of them where I've been entertaining your progeny. I'm the only one who knows where she is, and no matter how much she screams, I promise you'll never hear her.'

'What do you want?' Bill demanded, struggling to keep hold of Eric.

'What do I want?' Russell repeated, chuckling. 'Well, before I just wanted to make you all suffer, but now... Well, you should give your progeny more credit Bill. She managed to find a way to save her own skin tonight, by offering me something even more useful than her blood.'

Jessica's eyes widened. 'Wait, what? I didn't offer you anything,' she objected. Russell laughed, and moved as a blur, scooping unconscious Jason up into his arms like a ragdoll.

'Jason! Get your hands off my brother you asshole!' Sookie screamed, but Jason wasn't the only thing in Russell's hands. Sookie froze when she saw the gun, visions of dead girls on her kitchen floor flashing before her eyes.

'Silver bullets, gentlemen, so don't get any wild ideas.' Russell warned. 'And your brother's going to be fine, Miss Stackhouse. Well, his legs probably won't be, but hell I don't need him to be able to walk now, do I? Oh, and before I go, there's just one more thing.'

He barely took a second to aim before three clear shots rang out, striking their target in quick succession. Eric fell to the ground, blood gushing from his neck and both his wrists, soaking the grass crimson. Sookie and Jessica screamed, as Russell took off into the night with his precious cargo.


	6. Chapter 6

This is possibly the longest chapter in the history of the universe. But it is also the last expositional one before we finally get back to everyone's favourite blonde. And no, I don't mean fuckin' Sookie.

* * *

Priorities - Chapter 6

Sookie dropped to her knees beside Eric, desperately trying to staunch the bleeding, as blood gushed from his wounds. Jessica hovered behind her, her eyes streaming, and her hands over her mouth. Sookie, well practiced now in the physiology of the injured Vampire, thrust her wrist in Eric's face, offering him her blood to heal him. In an unprecedented move, Eric shook his head and refused her, his eyes fluttering closed as he got down to his last few pints.

'Damnit Eric, drink it for cryin' out loud!' Sookie demanded, trying in vain to bite into her own wrist to force him to take it. 'Seriously? It took you damn near three years to get me to offer you my blood and now you're refusing me? You're gonna bleed out you stupid old Viking and then how will you help Pam?'

Still, Eric turned his face away. Sookie looked up to Bill desperately.

'Bill, can't you do something? Order him to drink it, as King or something?'

'Sookie, I am not ordering Eric Northman to drink your blood.' Bill objected, but Sookie's eyes pleaded with him and he sighed, resigned. Instead of issuing a straight out order, he dropped to his knees beside her, taking her wrist in his, and biting into it. Her blood dripped onto his palm, but instead of offering Eric her wrist, Bill covered the gunshot wounds with his bloodied hands, stopping the blood flow. Once the bleeding stopped, Eric's eyes fluttered closed, and he lay there still, as if he were dead, one rebellious tear escaping from between his lashes and running a trail down his cheek. Sookie stroked his blood matted hair away from his forehead.

'He's safe for now,' Bill said, quietly. 'But he will need human blood if he is to recover his strength, and soon. We need to get somewhere safe, and call Doctor Ludwig immediately.'

'Gimme ten minutes, I'll close up the bar,' a voice ground out behind them. Sookie and Bill turned to see Sam struggling to his feet, helped by Jessica, who had shrugged out of her denim jacket and given it to Sam to cover his dignity.

'Oh my god, Sam, what happened to you?' Sookie gasped. It was Jessica who replied.

'He got himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Russell Edgington nearly killed him for it,' she said, watching as Sam limped over to his own clothes, and averting her eyes as he dropped her jacket to the ground and pulled on his jeans instead. Sam, still dazed, but recovered enough thanks to the blood that Jessica had clearly forced down him, staggered back toward the bar, ready to throw everyone the hell out, so the bar could be repurposed temporarily, as a recovery room - or a morgue, depending on how cooperative Eric felt like being.

'Oh god Bill,' Jessica whispered, her shoulders beginning to shake. 'What the hell is Russell gonna do to Jason? This is all my fault! I should never have come here tonight, I knew something was up with you and Eric and Pam, I just thought you were being all old and boring not telling me, I didn't even stop to think that I might bring something like this about and now Jason's gone and I don't know what to do, I just... I don't know what... I feel so helpless!' Jessica dissolved into sobs, and Bill put his arm around her, glancing over at Sookie awkwardly. Jason was her brother, after all.

'It's going to be okay, Jessica. Russell said himself, he doesn't mean to kill Jason. We will get him back, and alive. I promise you that.'

Sookie sniffed discretely from her spot on the ground. 'Why exactly is it that Russell wants to keep my brother alive, Jess?' she asked, quietly. She spoke as though she didn't want to wake the slumbering vampire at her feet.

Jessica bit her lip.'Um, well, because he was going to kill him, he was drinkin' from him and everything, so I told Russell how the fairy blood you got sometimes skips a generation, and so if he killed Jason, he'd never have any kids and pass on the blood to them.'

'Let me just get this straight - you set Russell Edgington after Jason's future grand babies?'

'To stop him from killin' him, yeah!' Jessica defended. 'I don't see how it matters so much anyways, Jason ain't got any kids and even if he made one yesterday, we've still got nine months to kick Russell's three thousand year old butt into the next millennium before he even thinks about killin' him.'

'Enough, both of you,' Bill interrupted, nodding at Sam who had appeared back in the bar's doorway, indicating that Merlotte's had been sufficiently cleared. 'Jessica, take Eric inside. I must call Doctor Ludwig.'

'Gladly,' Jessica muttered, stepping in front of Sookie and slinging the older vampire over her shoulder, as though he weighed little more than a bag of sugar. It wasn't entirely accurate, but Eric had lost so much blood he really did feel lighter than expected, even to a vampire like Jessica. Without another word, she carried him into the bar, with Sookie hot on her heels.

* * *

'Oh my god, Sam, what in the heck's going on?' Arlene gasped, as they all trooped in. She didn't particularly think that three bloodied vampires and a tardy waitress exactly constituted as justified reasoning for closing up nearly two hours early, especially since she hadn't even gotten around to making half as many tips as she was used to getting yet.

'Not now, Arlene,' Sam still looked a little dazed. He was probably concussed - even a decent dose of fresh vampire blood wasn't enough to make him forget his temple hitting that tree trunk in a hurry.

'Doctor Ludwig is on her way,' Bill announced, pocketing his phone and glancing uneasily at his unconscious sheriff, who Jessica had taken it upon herself to dump unceremoniously on the bar, seeing as none of the other surfaces seemed long enough for him.

'Who's that? Another vampire?' Sam asked. Bill shook his head.

'No, she's human, but she makes allowances for our kind, in exchange for access to the healing properties of our blood. It's an arrangement that works well enough.'

'Alright then,' Sam sighed, and ran is hands through his hair, wincing when they brushed over the tender spot on the back of his head. 'What happened to him?' He asked, nodding at Eric.

'Russell shot him with silver bullets,' Sookie replied, glancing at Bill. 'Although he'd be fine by now if he'd just drink some of my blood. Stubborn old vamp.'

'Sookie...' Bill started, sounding uneasy.

'What?'

'I would have thought, under the circumstances, Eric's reluctance to drink your blood would have been obvious,' Bill said, glancing around as though he thought surely everyone must have come to the same conclusion, but he was met by blank expressions, at least from the humans in the room. In the end, he looked at Jessica, and thankfully saw agreement in her eyes. Before either could offer an explanation though, the doors of Merlotte's clattered open, and the permanently pissed off figure of Doctor Ludwig shuffled in.

'Holy patootie that was fast. What did you do, fly here?' Sookie demanded, still annoyed that Bill hadn't finished explaining himself.

'I was in the neighbourhood. And besides, Mr Northman is one of my best - and by best, I mean, most frequent customers. I'm not sure my pension could afford to lose him, and hello to you too Miss Stackhouse,' Doctor Ludwig rattled off, not looking at her once. 'Now, what seems to be the problem?'

'He was shot with silver,' Bill told her. 'In the throat, and in both wrists.'

'Hmm, that's a pretty efficient way to incapacitate a vampire, even one of his age. Looks like he's just about bled out, any of you humans given him any blood yet?'

'No,' Sookie huffed. Arlene paled and busied herself by clearing off the last few tables into the kitchen.

'He didn't want to take it, when he was conscious,' Bill explained.

'Well, luckily we don't have to concern ourselves with Mr Northman's personal preferences right now. Miss Stackhouse, you look all flushed and full of blood, give me your wrist,' Doctor Ludwig requested. With a smug smirk in Bill's direction, Sookie bounded forward.

'No,' Bill stepped in and grabbed Sookie's wrist. Doctor Ludwig raised an eyebrow, but didn't object.

'Alright, fine,' she said, brusquely. 'Young lady, if you could fill this with blood for me?' she pushed a shot glass across the bar to Jessica, who eyed it in confusion.

'But, I'm a vampire,' she objected.

'I know you are, that's why I'm not asking for a pint. You're not too bright, are you?'

Jessica frowned, but at a nod from her maker, bit deep into her own wrist, stepping forward and letting the thick red liquid flow quickly, filling the shot glass in seconds. Once she had the glass in her possession, Doctor Ludwig whipped a scalpel from her bag and cut deeply into her own wrist, barely flinching as she allowed almost an entire pint if her own blood to gush into an empty glass. Just as she began to sway, she stopped, and dipped a shaking finger into the shot glass of vampire blood, closing her wound in a second and downing the shot with barely a grimace. It all took under a minute, but soon enough the old woman was back to bustling through her bag, and asking Sam if he had a spare straw.

'Uh... sure...' he fumbled around on the bar until he found one (used, but then it was only for Eric Northman). He handed the straw to Doctor Ludwig, who shook it out and dropped it into the pint glass of her own blood. Clearly she didn't think the vampire particularly deserved a fresh straw either.

'A little help over here, if you don't mind,' Doctor Ludwig grumbled. Sookie scooted forward again, but shrunk back at the Doctor's derisive snort. 'A little super human help over here, I should have said,' she corrected herself. Bill reluctantly complied, and stepped forward to help Doctor Ludwig hold Eric securely in place, while she held the glass to his lips.

'How's he spose'd to drink it, he's not even conscious,' Sookie commented, a touch of petulance sneaking into her tone.

'You could knock me out and chop my nose clean off and I'd still smell fresh blood if you waved it in front of my face,' Jessica said, fighting a smirk when she was proved right, and Eric's eyes flew open, wild and unseeing, until Doctor Ludwig seized her chance and thrust the straw into his mouth. He looked momentarily irritated but pretty soon the need to feed overcame him and he started to suck on the bright pink straw, drawing warm blood through it until his patience wore thin and he spat the straw out and wrenched his arm free from Bill's grasp so he could grap hold of the glass and drain it faster. Seconds later, he was licking his lips, woozy but very much alive.

'Don't get up,' Doctor Ludwig ordered, a split second after Eric tried to do just that, and found himself crashing to the ground. 'I told you not to get up,' she said, as Sookie dashed forward to try and help him up.

'...Pam?' Eric was disoriented, and the flash of blonde that streaked across his line of vision gave him momentary relief, before he realised it was not his child after all.

'No Eric, it's me... It's Sookie,' Sookie explained, gently. Eric frowned, and then growled at her.

'I know who you are Sookie,' he said, then narrowed his eyes at Bill. 'You let him get away?'

'He shot you, with silver bullets,' Bill defended. 'We were a little pre-occupied with trying to save your life,'

'Yeah and you weren't exactly making things easy for us by refusing my blood,' Sookie grumbled. 'What the hell was that about?'

Eric ignored the question and staggered to his feet, swaying slightly.

'What is wrong with me?' he asked Doctor Ludwig, who rolled her eyes.

'You were shot, as King Bill just told you. In the throat, and both wrists. You bled out almost immediately, you're very lucky to be alive Mr Northman.'

'You gave me blood? Whose?' Eric demanded. Sookie's brow furrowed when his accusing gaze landed on her.

'Mine,' Doctor Ludwig answered, sharply. Eric pulled a disgusted face, but otherwise looked relieved. 'You will be weak, for at least a couple of days, so don't do anything stupid.'

'I am not weak!' Eric roared.

Doctor Ludwig said nothing. Instead, she marched over to the towering vampire and gave him a sharp kick in the shin.

'Fuck!' Eric crumpled to the ground, gripping his leg, his eyes streaming from the pain. He yanked up his trouser leg and gawped at the quickly forming bruise on his shin. Thousand year old vampires did not bruise from little old lady kicks.

'See? Now do yourself a favour and go to ground for a couple of days. Then find yourself a willing donor or two and knock yourself out, or you'll be no use to anyone. Now, if you don't mind, I have to be going. I'll be invoicing you for my fee tomorrow Mr Compton,'

Bill nodded at her as Doctor Ludwig packed up her things and bustled out of Merlotte's without a second glance.

Eric sat back on his haunches and took a deep, strangely necessary breath.

'Do we have any idea where Russell is?' he asked, suddenly sounding tired.

'No,' Bill replied. 'But he now has Sookie's brother too.'

Eric tried to summon up the strength to care, but he couldn't even force a false expression of sympathy onto his face.

'Did he say anything to you, anything at all that might indicate what he intends to do, and where he intends to do it?' Eric asked, fixing Jessica with his stare.

'No, he didn't,' she said, shaking her head. 'I mean, he said plenty, but nothin' about where he was keeping Pam.'

'Maybe nothing that you'd recognise as important,' Eric snapped. 'Tell me, did he say _anything_ about Pam, or me, or even Bill? Tell me _exactly_what he said.'

'Eric, I would appreciate it if you would not take such a tone when speaking to my progeny,' Bill said, firmly.

'Sorry my liege, I'm slightly distracted by the fact that my own progeny has been missing for the past two days,' Eric spat. Bill ignored him and turned to Jessica himself.

'Jessica, it would be helpful if you could repeat anything Russell said before we arrived.'

Jessica nodded; 'Okay, well... he said some stuff about Bill being dumb for not understanding some message or something, and something about getting blood out of his shirt from last night, and... and he said, well... he said something about feeling his progeny's pain when Eric killed him, and how Eric was going to feel it when he... when he...'

'Spit it out.' Eric ordered, in a low and dangerous voice.

Jessica bit her lip and took a breath. 'When he breaks Pam into bloody pieces.'

Sookie's eyes filled with tears, and Sam looked away, uncomfortably. Bill ran a hand through his hair awkwardly and sighed. Eric simply stood, carefully this time, and looked for a moment like he was about to say something, but then thought the better of it and turned, moving swiftly through the bar and into Sam's office, slamming the door behind him.

'Sure Eric, you can use my office,' Sam muttered. Jessica slumped into a booth beside him, wiping at her eyes.

'This whole situation is fuckin' shit,' she said.

Sookie appeared to struggle with herself for a moment, and then started after Eric.

'Sookie, wait!' Bill called after her.

'I know what I'm doing Bill,' she replied, disappearing into Sam's office.

* * *

Sookie clicked the door closed behind her. Eric appeared not to notice, but she knew better. She padded over to Sam's desk, carefully, until she was in front of him and he couldn't avoid looking at her.

'Not now Sookie,' Eric warned, but she shushed him.

'It's okay. I get it, I do. I know why you don't want to drink from me,' she said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eric looked up at her, and she was taken aback by the pain she saw in his eyes.

'This is my fault, Sookie,' he admitted.

She shook her head; 'No, it's not,' she told him. 'It's Russell's fault for being a psychopath. You didn't know what he was going to do,'

'No I didn't, but I knew what he was capable of. And instead of doing everything in my power to protect my progeny from the moment I discovered he had escaped his prison, I accused her of having something to do with it, because I knew she was pissed at me. I drove her away, and now he has her, and he's going to kill her, very slowly, and she thinks that I don't care. She's going to die thinking that.'

Eric dropped his head suddenly, and it wasn't until his shoulders started to shake, that she realised he was crying.

'I told her I would kill her,' he said, managing to find his voice. 'She has never been anything other than loyal to me, she has never done anything to cause me to distrust her, she watched as I gave myself to you entirely and then desecrated our bond by choosing you over her.'

Sookie didn't say anything, she didn't think there was anything to say. Everything Eric had said was true, and she couldn't change any of it. She didn't want to change any of it, if she was honest.

'You don't have any of my blood in you any more do you?' she asked, already knowing the answer.

'No, I don't,'

'And you wouldn't drink from me earlier because you don't want my blood in you anymore, do you?'

Eric shook his head. 'Sookie, you know how I feel about you, I know you do. But...'

'But we're not together. And that was my decision. And you have to keep your head clear so you can rescue Pam,' she finished for him. 'And you will rescue her, Eric, I know you will. Pam's very lucky to have you.'

Eric made a sound half way between a scoff and a sob, and shook his head again. Sookie sighed and shuffled in closer, wrapping her arms around the massive vampire and feeling her heart break when his head dropped onto her shoulder, soaking her Merlotte's t-shirt with blood.


	7. Chapter 7

GUYS – thank you so so much for all your amazing reviews. I am a megabitch I know, for not updating for ages. Long story short, I've been working rather a lot, and as a result even this post is not as long as I'd like, but please know I'm not abandoning this story until it's done.

Also, can we just have a moment for series 5 so far? No spoilers or anything but oh my GOD! I can safely say this story is now officially AU, but whatever.

…enjoy (finally) (…sorry again)

Priorities – Chapter 7

Jason awoke on a cold, sticky floor to blinding, relentless pain, a fair amount of darkness, and a constant sound of dripping – like there was a tap somewhere that just needed turning off a little bit tighter. Despite the state of his legs, oddly it was the dripping that bothered him the most. He didn't know what it was, but it was incredibly annoying.

He lay there, awake in the darkness – or at least he thought he was awake, he was pretty sure he'd never quite imagined being in this much pain ever in his life so it had to be real – for what seemed like hours, before he could ever summon up the courage to try to move. The moment he did, he regretted it. Broken bones dug into muscle, and if that wasn't bad enough, he discovered pretty quickly that he was chained up – shackled by the neck to be precise – just like he'd known Lafayette to have been once before, in Fangtasia's basement.

'Fuckin' Eric Northman,' he muttered, gritting his teeth through the pain. In that moment, he heard something, the rustling of chains – chains that were not his.

'Hello?' his voice came out hoarser than he'd have liked. 'Who's there?'

There was silence for a good thirty seconds, only broken by the constant drip-drip-dripping, until finally the rustling happened again, and a voice cut through the darkness.

'Certainly not 'fuckin' Eric Northman', sorry to disappoint,' it said, with the barest hint of sneer. Jason recognised it, but it didn't exactly put him at ease.

'…Pam?' he asked, tentatively. Her name felt strange on his lips – and he realised he hadn't actually ever used it before. He'd met her plenty of times, but most of the time Eric and Bill had been at the forefront of the attention. She just always seemed to _be _there. Aside from the last time he'd seen her of course, when she'd fired a bazooka at his sister and almost blinded him and burned him alive with her efforts.

'Last time I checked,' the voice confirmed his suspicions, but it didn't elaborate.

Jason clenched his jaw suddenly, as a fresh wave of pain flooded through his legs. He drew in a sharp breath, trying not to panic when he realised that the pain didn't quite reach his feet. In fact, nothing seemed to be reaching his feet – pain or otherwise. He was drifting back into delirium, and found himself wondering if they were even still there. Surely he would have bled out by now if Russell Edgington had chopped of his feet, right?

'Why are you doing this?' he ground out, desperation creeping into his tone. 'Why are you helping that psycho? He tried to kill Jessica – I thought you liked her,'

In the blackness, Pam snorted. 'You know, there are many things in this world I like. A fresh pair of Louboutins, some vintage Cartier, the femoral artery of a flame haired virgin… but whiny teenage vampires are not on my list.' Jason said nothing. He couldn't – the pain was getting unbearable, and he was pretty sure he was about to pass out again. 'I take it your presence here means that slimy bastard didn't manage to get his silver noose around Cheeto's pretty little neck? You realise when he fucks you, you're going to be the girl, right?' She laughed – but it cut short suddenly, and there was silence for a second or two. When she spoke again, her voice was strained. 'I never thought she was up to much, but Jessica's supersnatch must be almost as impressive as your sister's, if you're willing to endure _that _for her.'

'Will you just kill me already, or at least shut the fuck up? I… I can't…' he paused, took a steadying breath, and carried on. 'If there's even a trace of decency left in you, you'll kill me, before that crazy bastard comes back.'

'I'll pass if you don't mind, I've seen what happens to vampires who suck on a Stackhouse,' Pam's voice suddenly took on a weary tone. 'But if you'll swear on your eternally limp dick that you'll shut the hell up and give me… let's say… two hours of absolute Stackhouse-less silence, I'll fix your little leg problem.'

'You… you will? How?'

'Now, I know your genetically programmed to be retarded, but I also know you're no stranger to the healing qualities of vampire blood.'

Jason gulped, despite himself. He wasn't entirely sure admitting his former addiction aloud was the best idea, in present company.

'You… you'll let me drink from you?' he asked, not sure if he should feel grateful or revolted.

'I'm a little tied up right now, but I can point you in the direction of a premium brand. It might be a bit dusty, but it'll do the trick.' Jason could do no more than a confused expression and a general sound of bewilderment. He heard Pam sigh. 'I know I'm going to regret this,' she muttered under her breath. 'Alright, can you move your hands? Because judging from how long I've been here, and how shitty I feel right now, I imagine you'll hit the jackpot if you put your… _left_ hand on the floor, right next to your useless human legs.'

Jason shook his head, he didn't have the energy to speak anymore. Against his better judgement, he did as she said, frowning in confusion when his palm landed in a puddle of something thick and wet. He withdrew it immediately, and when he did so, he got a whiff of the sticky red substance he'd managed to avoid for so long. The blood coated his hand, and even though he couldn't see it, he could smell it like nothing else.

Another spasm of pain wracked his body, and his choice was made. His tongue darted out, licking the blood from his hand. Pam was right – it did taste kind of stale. He wondered, absently, how she knew it was there, and who exactly it came from.

The moment the blood trickled down his throat, he felt the familiar warm feeling begin to flow through his veins, and into his legs, the bones easing back into place and muscles mending, the pounding pain in his head abating at last. Once he was healed, he couldn't help but take one more taste, sending his senses into over drive. Suddenly he could see clearly in the darkness, and what he saw sent him reeling, scrambling back against the wall when he realised the puddle of blood by his legs was not just a puddle, but a red river that flowed thickly along the length of the room. A bloodied pile of body parts lay across from him, barely recognisable as one person, or the remnants of many. At the far end of the room, where his vision only just reached, he saw Pam.

'Fuck… oh my god,' Jason stuttered, his eyes flicking from the vampire, to the mangled human remains, and back again. 'What the hell did he do to you?'

Pam's head, which had previously hung limply in front of her, snapped up. Her eyes were bloody, her face marred by the tell-tale signs of silver chain mail burns, but she still managed to fix him with a sarcastic glare.

'I believe the technical term is crucifixion,' she supplied. 'Although I'm not sure it works the same way on vampires as it was designed to on humans. Hurts like a bitch though.'

Jason gaped. The vampire was suspended opposite him, arms outstretched and pinned roughly to the wall, great silver spikes through her wrists. His stomach dropped uncomfortably when he realised where the morbid dripping was coming from.

'Shit… are you okay?' He was met with a quirked bruised eyebrow. 'Okay, stupid question. But is this all your blood? How are you not, you know, a great big pile of vampy goo?'

'I'll have you know, I will never be a 'great big pile of vampy goo',' Pam spat, her indignation causing her to yank at her bonds, tearing the silver stakes into her wrists a little further and drawing a long hiss of pain from her in the process. She took a moment to compose herself, before continuing. 'If I should meet the true death, you can rest assured that pile of vampy goo will still be a size two. Anyway, Russell doesn't want me dead yet – he told me as much. So whenever it looks like I'm about to run dry, he very kindly sends in a half-dead, drugged up fangbanger and forces the poor fucker down my throat. Then he rips them to shreds. Just for funsies.'

Jason sat up, his hands reaching for the shackle around his neck. He wondered briefly if he could manage to tear himself free with the help of Pam's blood, but soon discovered it was useless to even try. Eventually, he had to give up, pounding the wall in frustration.

'Why is he doing this?' he asked. 'Why us?'

Pam smirked, despite the fresh wave of tears that seemed to spill from her eyes without her even knowing it. 'Why?' she repeated, shaking her head. 'Because we're the unlucky fucks he found first.'


End file.
